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Year: 2026

Gas surge tied to Iran conflict hits swing states, testing Trump’s low-price pitch

Gas surge tied to Iran conflict hits swing states, testing Trump’s low-price pitch

For voters feeling the sting of rising gas prices, a trip to the gas pump is becoming a daily flashpoint as midterm elections loom. President Donald Trump touted low gas prices during his February State of the Union address, saying they had fallen “below $2.30 a gallon in most states and in some places, $1.99.” Now, an escalating conflict with Iran is sending prices sharply higher — particularly in battleground states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Ohio. That surge is undercutting a central economic message that helped power Trump’s return to office and could reshape the political landscape as fuel costs rise in key states. “I used to put $30 worth of gas in my car for the week — now it’s $45,” said Zafar, an Uber driver who typically fills up in Virginia, where gas prices are more than $1 higher than a year ago. WHERE GAS PRICES ARE RISING THE FASTEST AS TRUMP’S IRAN DEADLINE LOOMS “I have no choice — I have to support my family,” he said, adding that he can’t afford to cut back on driving despite rising gas prices. Just weeks ago, the outlook looked very different. The national average has climbed to $4.16 per gallon, up about 91 cents from a year ago, according to AAA, with prices rising across nearly every region. West Coast drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.93 per gallon in California and $5.39 in Washington. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, gas prices have surpassed $4 in several areas, including $4.29 in Washington, D.C., and $4.18 in Pennsylvania.  Meanwhile, in the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.36 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$3 range. While Southern states remain comparatively cheaper, prices are climbing there as well, with Georgia at $3.73, Texas and Alabama at $3.84, and Florida higher at $4.18. Oklahoma and Kansas have the lowest gas prices in the nation, at $3.34 and $3.39, respectively. Beyond gasoline, other fuel costs are rising even faster. Diesel has climbed to $5.66, up about $1.15 over the past month. As a key fuel for freight, shipping and public transportation, it is especially sensitive to supply disruptions — and its rising cost can quickly ripple through the broader economy, pushing up prices on everything from groceries to goods. DEMS WHO RAN ON AFFORDABILITY NOW FACE BACKLASH AS COSTS CLIMB IN NY, VIRGINIA That kind of pocketbook pressure is exactly what Democrats have been eager to exploit. Last fall, Democrats leaned heavily on affordability themes in state and local elections, and it paid off. In places like Virginia, New York and New Jersey, where voters have been squeezed by high housing costs and utility bills, Democratic candidates seized on Trump’s early economic moves, including his trade policy, to argue that the Republican agenda was worsening the affordability crisis rather than easing it. That same playbook is now reemerging on a national scale, as rising fuel costs tied to the Iran war give Democrats a fresh opening to hammer Republicans on kitchen-table costs. OIL, GAS PRICES JUMP AS TRUMP FLIRTS WITH STRIKING IRANIAN OIL INFRASTRUCTURE Campaigns are leaning in, tying higher fuel costs to Republican policies in ads, speeches and appearances across key battleground states. In central Pennsylvania, Janelle Stelson, a Democrat challenging Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., campaigned Monday at a Mobil gas station where prices were $4.24 for regular unleaded and more than $6 for diesel. She argued Perry, a Trump ally, bears some responsibility for worsening the cost-of-living crisis, according to The Washington Post. In Iowa, the left-leaning veterans group VoteVets is running a new $825,000 ad campaign backing state Rep. Joshua Turek’s Senate bid that highlights rising gas prices. The message is also playing out in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed, a liberal Democrat in a competitive Senate primary, is airing ads focused on rising gas prices. “You know why gas is so expensive? Donald Trump’s $200 billion war with Iran,” he says in one ad. With prices rising, the cost of gas is quickly becoming a central political battleground — and a potential liability for Trump and his allies in the months leading up to the midterms.

WATCH: Bondi successor reveals shocking number of fraud cases with eye-popping taxpayer theft

WATCH: Bondi successor reveals shocking number of fraud cases with eye-popping taxpayer theft

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed that the Justice Department is investigating more than 8,000 fraud cases, which he said represent over $1 trillion in taxpayer funds potentially stolen each year by “increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters.” Blanche, who is filling in for the role after former Attorney General Pam Bondi’s sudden ouster last week, said just a few of the fraud schemes being investigated by the DOJ recently resulted in a guilty plea by fraudsters for “stealing over half a billion dollars from taxpayers.” He noted that the 8,000 cases “represent a fraction of the fraud ripping off our country every day.” He said the recently launched DOJ National Fraud Enforcement Division will “work closely” with the Vice President JD Vance-led Task Force to Eliminate Fraud to pursue a “comprehensive and coordinated approach” to investigating fraud. “Because of this administration’s leadership, fraudsters, scammers, tax cheats or anyone who lies to get rich off the generosity of the American people should be on notice,” he said, noting, “Our goal is to prevent this from ever happening again.” VANCE SAYS BIDEN ADMIN ‘TURNED OFF’ ANTI-FRAUD PROTECTIONS, DEBUTS NEW TASK FORCE WITH FOCUS ON SOMALI SCHEMES Blanche delivered the remarks Tuesday in what was his first press conference as acting head of the DOJ. The conference came days after Bondi was abruptly removed from her role as attorney general by President Donald Trump. Blanche refused to speculate on the reason for Bondi’s removal, saying, “Nobody has any idea … except for the president.” Though Bondi’s leadership of the DOJ has been heavily criticized, especially by Democrats, Blanche praised her “vision and her commitment to justice.” He signaled continuity between her leadership and his, particularly on fraud investigations. The Trump administration has made such investigations a priority following revelations about rampant Medicaid and childcare fraud in Minnesota involving the state’s Somali immigrant community. Just last week, Trump named Vance fraud czar and tasked him with tackling fraud schemes, which he said are most rampant in blue states. BLANCHE ARGUES TRUMP CAN INFLUENCE DOJ INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE INVOLVING POLITICAL FOES Blanche said, “Every day, Department of Justice investigators and prosecutors work to punish those who commit fraud.” “For example, just this week, and it’s only Tuesday, a criminal defendant was sentenced, and the department obtained two additional guilty pleas and matters totaling over half 1 billion dollars in health care and COVID fraud,” he said. “If you think about that, just since yesterday, we had a guilty plea in a $160 million health care enrollment fraud scheme, a sentencing in a $100 million COVID-19 fraud case, and a guilty plea in a $160 million health care fraud scheme as well.” He said the DOJ is “supercharging” its efforts through the new division, involving every U.S. attorney across the country in efforts to “take down every fraudster and bring them to justice.” BLANCHE INVOKES TRUMP ‘LOVE’ WHEN ASKED ABOUT STAYING ON AFTER BONDI “With over $1 trillion at stake every single year, threatened by increasingly sophisticated and opportunistic fraudsters, the time for this comprehensive and coordinated approach is now,” he said, adding, “So, to the fraudsters who seek to take advantage of our nation, let this be a warning.”

Iran reveals 10-point plan for peace with the US – here’s what’s in it

Iran reveals 10-point plan for peace with the US – here’s what’s in it

The U.S. and Iran have agreed to a two-week ceasefire as both sides engage in talks to secure a wider peace agreement Wednesday. Iran has proposed a 10-point plan and shared it with President Donald Trump, who said it represents a “workable basis on which to negotiate.” The White House, however, says that plan differs with the one Iranian officials released to the public on Wednesday, according to the New York Times. The publicly available plan demands that the U.S. end all primary and secondary sanctions against Tehran, as well as that Iran receive full control over the Strait of Hormuz. The plan also demands an end to U.S. attacks on Iran and its allies, a withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East, the release of frozen Iranian assets and a United Nations resolution stating that the agreement will be binding. The U.S. would also have to compensate Iran for damage incurred during the war and accept Iran’s right to enrich uranium, according to the plan. TRUMP TELLS ‘STRANGE’ IRANIAN NEGOTIATORS TO ‘GET SERIOUS SOON’ OR ‘IT WON’T BE PRETTY’ In exchange, Iran would commit not to build nuclear weapons and enter into peace agreements with its regional neighbors. A White House official declined to say how the plan Trump received differs from the public version, but said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would offer further details at a press conference later Wednesday, the Times reported. Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian claimed on Tuesday that the U.S. had accepted the “general principles desired by Iran.” The public plan already has critics within the U.S., however, and some of Trump’s allies have voiced opposition to key portions. TRUMP’S APOCALYPTIC IRAN WARNING RAISES STAKES FOR SWEEPING US STRIKE THREAT “The supposed negotiating document, in my view, has some troubling aspects, but time will tell. I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “Allowing this regime to enrich in the future would be an affront to all those murdered by the regime since this war started and would be inconsistent with denying Iran a pathway toward a bomb in the future,” he added. Trump has already confirmed that the U.S. will not agree to certain parts of Iran’s proposed deal, referencing the country’s nuclear program in particular on Wednesday. Trump said Iran has agreed to allow the U.S. to “dig up and remove” the country’s enriched uranium at the site where Operation Midnight Hammer struck last year. “The United States will work closely with Iran, which we have determined has gone through what will be a very productive Regime Change! There will be no enrichment of Uranium,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is now, and has been, under very exacting Satellite Surveillance (Space Force!). Nothing has been touched from the date of attack. We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran,” Trump wrote.